Wichita eagle., 1887-10-09

awake and begin their flight, l endeavorea
to warm myself by rolling myself up in q
blanket
Then, lying on my back, looked up at the
misshapen moon, which had four horns when
viewed through the barely transparent walls
of this polar house.
The cold from the frozen morass, from
those walls of ice, from the bleak sky, soon
penetrated my whole being to such an extent
that began to cough.
Cousin Karl became uneasy. $50 much
the worse II we kill nothing tolev." said he,
.'but / will not let you tske cold in that 10Y.
shall have fire maze" And he ordered
the gamekeeper to cut down reeds for that
purpose A lot Of these were piled up ia q
heap in the center of our hut, the top Of
which was broken in to allow the smoke to
escape When the red fame began to arise
along the clear crystal liks partition it began
sweating Karl, who had remained without,
called to me, ''Come and see!" l went to him
and was struck with amazement. Our cone
shaped hut looked like monster diamond
with a blazing center, which seemed to have
suddenly arisen from the frozen water of the
swamp Within were two fantastic forms,
our dogs warming themselves by the fire.
A strange cry, one of those wandering, lost
cries, passed over our heads The light OF
our fire was awaking the wild birds.
am always impressed by that first cutlery
Of living beings, flying SO fast and SO far
through the dark atmosphere, before the first
light Of winters day breaks along the east
ern horizon 1t seems to me, at this frozen
hour Of dawn, that this feeting cry, flying
away on the wings of bird. is sigh
breathed forth by the earth's soul.
Karl cried out: "Put out the fire. Day il
breaking"
In fact the sky was beginning to look pale,
and focks Of ducks dragged across the sky
rapid dark lines, which disappeared as quickly
es they appeared.
A flash lit up the darkness. Karl had Just
shot, and the two dogs sprang away gayly.
Then every minute, now Karl, then my
self, we would take aim and fire at whatever
few above us. while Pierrot and Plongeon,
out of breath and joyous, would bring to us
tho bleeding birds, whose eyes very frequently
still gazed consciously upon us.
The day opened bright and blue, and when
the sun appeared at the end of the valley we
began to think Of returning home, when two
birds with outstretched necks and extended
wings slid through the air above our heads.
1 fired. One of them fell, almost at my feet.
1t was silver bellied teal. Then. in space
away up above me, a voice-the voice Of
bird-cried out. 1t was short, plaintive,
heartrending cry, and the little creature that
had been spared began flying around in the
blue sky above US cycling his dead companion
that ! was holding in my hands.
Karl, one knee on the ground, was watch
ing with an eager eye the movements of tho
bird, waiting for him to come within shot.
@You have killed the female said he "the
male will not fly away"
Certainly he did not seem likely to fly of.
He kept on turning about US continuing his
doleful cry. Never did the moan of suffering
so rend my heart as did this desolate can,
resembling the reproachful lament, of that
creature lost in space.
At times, be would fly off from the threat
ening gun that followed his movements,
seeming ready to continue his journey alone
across the sky. Then again he would return,
as if he could not 60 and leave his female be-
hind.
Throw the duck to the ground, said Karl,
'he will soon come nearer"
He did come near. in fact reckless Of
danger, maddened by his love for that other
creature had just killed.
Karl fired; it was as if a string, keeping
the bird swinging in midair, had been cut
l saw something black tumbling down;
heard amid the reeds the noise of falling
body. And Pierrot brought the bird 20 me-
1 put both of them. cold and stih already,
into the same game bag-and that very day
returned to Paris.-Guy de Maupassant:-
translated for the Times Democrat